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President Emerita Sister Mary Louise Sullivan

Posted on 1/10/2017 9:03:44 AM

Dear Cabrini University community,

It is a great sadness to report that Cabrini’s Former President and President Emerita, Sister Mary Louise Sullivan, MSC, (’63) PhD, passed away this morning, January 10, 2017, at Saint Cabrini Nursing Home in Dobbs Ferry, NY, after a long illness.

During Sister Mary Louise’s leadership of Cabrini from 1972-1982, the institution grew rapidly. As noted in Cabrini’s 50th Anniversary book:

“As Cabrini approached its third decade, there would be many challenges: to increase enrollment, to provide more student housing, to compete as an independent institution in a competitive collegiate marketplace. As she laid the groundwork for a new five-year Master Plan, Sister Mary Louise was nothing if not optimistic, charting an agenda that included growth in nearly every direction.”

Under her leadership, student activities and athletic programs expanded, including the creation of a Black Student Union, International Club, co-ed Athletic Association, service programs, Women’s Volleyball Team, and Men’s Basketball Team.

Construction began for seven new student residences, known as the “houses,” and Cabrini’s first student-activity building, the Widener Center, opened.

New academic areas were developed, including the English and Communication, Psychology, and Social Science Departments, while the institution received approval to begin its first master’s degree program, in education.

Sister Mary Louise is also the author of the biography, “Mother Cabrini – Italian Immigrant of the Century,” published in 1992 and adapted from her doctoral dissertation.